VATICAN - Feedback from the Seminar for newly appointed bishops from mission territories: “It helped me see and live the Catholicity of the Church.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – "It has been a wonderful initiative, very rich opportunity for sharing experiences and learning," Fides was told by Bishop Mario Flanders, SDB, Apostolic Vicar of El Petén, Guatemala, in his analysis of the Seminar sponsored by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples for bishops appointed in the last two years. The seminar ended today (see Fides 09/06/2010). "There are many aspects of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Pontifical Mission Societies that everyone knows,” Bishop Fiandri said. “Specifically, they do so much for so many people living in poverty, in remote places, through projects that meet very real needs. One often hears of how the Vatican helps out here and there, but not with these very concrete testimonies that we have been able to hear.”
Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta of Bandung, Indonesia, said: "We have learned valuable information about how the bishop must act in his pastoral and administrative duties. It was a good time for training. I was very encouraged by this experience. I was particularly interested in the section on social communications, an area of great interest to me. I strongly believe in evangelization through the mass media. It was also a good experience for the relationship with the other Bishops, and it helped me see and live the Catholicity of the Church.”
Bishop Walter Heras Segarra, OFM, Apostolic Vicar of Zamora, Ecuador, also expressed his appreciation and presents some suggestions for the future: "The seminar was very well organized and is an excellent opportunity to exchange pastoral experiences. It also serves as a refresher for many concepts and themes that we have studied and it also allows for a rich missionary spirituality. I think the program could be enriched by an examination of themes that emerged during these days that are truly urgent. One is the theme of water, which is a major problem in many areas, not only Latin America but also on other continents. Another issue we have to deal with today is the phenomenon of interculturation and inculturation of faith. There still has not been much written on this subject, but as pastors in certain places, we must address it.” (CE-PA) (Agenzia Fides 18/09/2010)